A bi-monthly column by Kathy Gibbons, appearing in Monday's Food section. Kathy, the Record-Eagle features editor emeritus, has been writing a column for about 14 years, starting out with stories of pre-school and play dates and now viewing life from a new vantage point as an empty nester with two children away at college. Over the years, her work in features and columns has garnered awards from the Associated Press, Michigan Press Association and Suburban Newspapers. She also writes a column that appears every other Sunday in the Record-Eagle's Northern Living section.
Everyday Cook: Discovering cooking together
Daniela Hruba and Andy Fischer have more than a marriage. They have a culinary partnership. Starting out as newlyweds with a freezer stocked with Michelina's entrees and a pantry with little more than boxed dinners and cream of mushroom soup, Daniela and Andy Fischer have evolved into kitchen connoisseurs. ....more>>
Food is at the foundation of the Letizio family. In fact, it's hard to tell where family leaves off and food begins. Most meals are an outgrowth of Tony Letizio's Italian heritage and upbringing. His grandfather, an Italian immigrant, was a cook during World War I. His mother was also an avid cook, which made his house a popular place while he was growing up.
We've all heard the admonition: Don't try this at home. But that's all Diane and Bob Gorkiewicz do -- as in cooking, that is. It's probably their favorite pastime -- and the more complicated, the better. "We don't eat out unless we're on a trip," said Diane. At home, the Charlevoix couple prefer to dine in, experimenting with new recipes.
When Dan Sarya whips up one of his favorite recipes, not only is it likely to taste good, but it just might be healthy for your teeth. The Traverse City orthodontist loves to cook. He's also discovered the benefits of an ingredient called Xylitol, an all-natural sweetener, that he uses in place of sugar in most recipes that call for it.
Marie Rizzio isn't exactly your everyday cook. Still, she cooks every day, and happily so, for her husband of 60 years. Marie Rizzio has won dozens of food contests in the past several decades. While hosting people for dinner, she may very well at the same time be testing out a recipe that might soon show up as a winner in the National Chicken Cooking Contest or a Faygo pop recipe competition.
Patty Fabian learned how to cook at her mother's knee. Now she's doing her mom proud, as chief cook in her own household. Fabian estimates that she makes dinner four to six nights a week for her son, who will be a high school senior in the fall, and her "significant other."
Sandy Aprill's approach to cooking and meals is simple. She believes a family should try and sit down together for the evening meal most nights, if at all possible. For that reason, she tries to plan ahead, though she also knows that even the best-laid plans sometimes have to be scrapped. Sandy also likes things simple -- good food, made from scratch, but not with a list of ingredients and steps so long that it makes her eyes glaze over.
Some wives ask their husbands to swing by the market and pick up a gallon of milk on their way home from work. For Mary Harding of Traverse City, it's asparagus. Mary's husband Bob drives by Norconk Farms' asparagus stand on West M-72 every day, honoring Mary's standing request to stop and pick up asparagus -- the star of each evening's meal.
